Steelers - Ravens Score Prediction

Postseason in sight. The winner of this game takes over sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Just as important, the winner has a good chance of finishing as the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the AFC, and would have a first-round bye and at least one home game in the playoffs.

Keep Ben on his feet. Steelers have to show they can protect quarterback Ben Roethlisberger against the Ravens' pass rush. The Ravens have used a lot of new stunts in the past two weeks, and the Steelers are without starting tackles Flozell Adams and Max Starks because of injuries. Buffalo forced Roethlisberger out of the pocket quite often a week ago.

Real Baltimore please stand up. The Ravens haven't beaten a quality team since early in the season when they knocked off the Jets and Steelers, who were without Roethlisberger. Since then, the Ravens have lost to the Patriots and Falcons. In the next three weeks, they face Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Houston. It's time to find out if the Ravens are for real or not.

Three key Ravens

LB Jarret Johnson. He has played extremely well the past two games because his shoulder and back problems are gone. The Steelers will double up to rush outside linebacker Terrell Suggs on their left side, so Johnson has to have a big game on the right side. He might be the Ravens' most important pass rusher Sunday.

WR Derrick Mason. He had a big game last week with eight catches for 87 yards. He'll have to be just as impressive Sunday because opposing teams are now bracketing Anquan Boldin all over the field. Look for the Mason versus Ike Taylor matchup. Mason will win it almost every time.

C Matt Birk. He has to be on his game as far as calling out the blocking assignments. Pending on injuries, the Ravens might be without two starting offensive linemen in tackle Michael Oher and guard Chris Chester. Birk could be working with two newcomers against a defense which shifts and blitzes a lot.

C Maukice Pouncey. He got pummeled last week against Buffalo, and it won't get any easier against the Ravens. He'll have either Kelly Gregg or Haloti Ngata in his face all afternoon. The Ravens respect Pouncey, but he won't face another duo as strong as Gregg and Ngata. Look for Pouncey to get a lot of help from the guards.

QB Ben Roethlisberger. He's a Ravens killer. He usually finds a way to beat the Ravens with a long drive at the end of a game. The Ravens, like other teams, have a hard time bringing Roethlisberger down, and they have spent a lot of time as a defense figuring out ways to attack him. The Ravens thought they got a great warm-up act for Roethlisberger last week against Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman. If they can't tackle him, the Ravens at least have to keep Roethlisberger in the pocket.

WR Mike Wallace. Because the Ravens corners play so soft, they have a tough time running with speedsters, and Wallace could present some problems for the Ravens. The Steelers have to notice the Ravens vulnerability on the outside, so they'll go after cornerbacks Josh Wilson and Lardarius Webb. Webb bites often on double moves.

Bottom line

Before last week, it would have been an easy choice picking Baltimore over Pittsburgh. If the Ravens can get injured players like Oher (knee), Chester (skin disease), fullback Le'Ron McClain (ankle) and safety Dawan Landry (concussion) healthy, the Ravens will beat the Steelers because Pittsburgh can't contain the Ravens' pass rush. Simply put, the Steelers can't score and the Ravens have enough firepower to control the clock. If the injured players don't play, Pittsburgh might pull out the victory.

Re: Steelers - Ravens Score Prediction

NFL Power Predictions by WhatIfSports.com

WhatIfSports.com utilizes its football simulation to rank all 32 NFL teams based on their likelihood of winning the upcoming week. To come up with the rankings, each upcoming game is simulated 10,000 times and teams are ordered by winning percentage. The predictions use the most up-to-date stats, rosters and depth charts.

Re: Steelers - Ravens Score Prediction

Well, our O-line is pretty banged-up, and I seriously doubt they'll give Ben too much time/protection... And I'm actually a bit worried about their WRs torching our secondary... And say what you want about Flacco, but I don't just call him a "game manager" anymore. He's ranked #11 in the league for a reason...

... The predicted score above might be accurate, but that's why they play the game... I expect an extremely hard-fought contest.

"You only have one life, and you will not get out alive. Make the most of your time and have no regrets." - Me.

Re: Steelers - Ravens Score Prediction

Well, our O-line is pretty banged-up, and I seriously doubt they'll give Ben too much time/protection... And I'm actually a bit worried about their WRs torching our secondary... And say what you want about Flacco, but I don't just call him a "game manager" anymore. He's ranked #11 in the league for a reason...

... The predicted score above might be accurate, but that's why they play the game... I expect an extremely hard-fought contest.

I was just BS'n with my buddy (who is a HUGE Ravens fan), and he seems to have some reservations about Baltimore's OL being able to handle our pass rush! Apparently their line has taken some lumps too?

Re: Steelers - Ravens Score Prediction

I was just BS'n with my buddy (who is a HUGE Ravens fan), and he seems to have some reservations about Baltimore's OL being able to handle our pass rush! Apparently their line has taken some lumps too?

Yea... They have...

"You only have one life, and you will not get out alive. Make the most of your time and have no regrets." - Me.

Re: Steelers - Ravens Score Prediction

I am thinking along lines like you....only one problem...which ****in Steeler team is going to show up??? the one that put a foot in the Raiders ***......or the one that seemed to **** around all day against the Bills...and realized in the 4th quarter they could easliy lose?????

IMO...too many TD's...not enough FG's....hard fought battle but rough to score once in the red zone...my prediction:

Re: Steelers - Ravens Score Prediction

I am thinking along lines like you....only one problem...which ****in Steeler team is going to show up??? the one that put a foot in the Raiders ***......or the one that seemed to **** around all day against the Bills...and realized in the 4th quarter they could easliy lose?????

IMO...too many TD's...not enough FG's....hard fought battle but rough to score once in the red zone...my prediction:

Re: Steelers - Ravens Score Prediction

Ravens 31Steelers 10
Unfortunately I also predict 3 turnovers by the Steelers and although Ben starts the game he doesn't finish it.
Another loss will still keep us in the running for a Wild-Card spot. Don't worry....be happy!

"The brotherhood that the Steelers have, their way of doing business, their way of playing football, spans decades. Their way of building teams that do not blink and players that do not shrink, well, there is nothing come-lately about it."

Re: Steelers - Ravens Score Prediction

I am thinking along lines like you....only one problem...[HIGH-LIGHT]which ****in Steeler team is going to show up??? [/HIGH-LIGHT]the one that put a foot in the Raiders ***......or the one that seemed to **** around all day against the Bills...and realized in the 4th quarter they could easliy lose?????

IMO...too many TD's...not enough FG's....hard fought battle but rough to score once in the red zone...my prediction: